The Rampage Ramaz Upper School
New York • Volume 78 • Issue 1 • September 2015 • Tishrei 5776 • the-rampage.org
After Four Years, KJ and Ramaz Return Home
Naomi Freilich ’18
On July 11th, 2011 at around 7:30 P.M., the seemingly impossible occurred. Eighty fifth street, the block on which the KJ synagogue and the Ramaz Lower School stood, was full of black smoke billowing up into the sky. The community was in shock and fear as the building, which united many Upper East Side families, stood ablaze. When asked by a news reporter what the community was going to do, Rabbi Lookstein, Senior Rabbi of KJ responded, “We can either shed tears and give into depression or be determined to rebuild.” On Thursday, Rabbi Weinstock, the Associate Rabbi of KJ, began the re-dedication by saying, “It’s so good to be back.” The audience was overjoyed as the Torah Scrolls were returned to their “homes,” otherwise known as the Aron. It was an overwhelmingly joyous moment as KJ members rejoiced while dancing and singing “LeShana Haba” around the Bima. Rabbi Weinstock opened up the assembly with a Psalm of gratitude towards God.
Following his speech, Chairman of the Board of the Ramaz School, Jacob Doft ’87, and KJ Board President, Joel Katz, expressed their gratitude to the community for making this new synagogue a reality. Rabbi Lookstein then
was damaged Rabbi Lookstein referred to the event, “not as a tragedy, but a catastrophe,” as no one was injured during the fire. “We will come out stronger!” Rabbi Lookstein exclaimed on the day of the calamity, and that message was
without our synagogue, “it wasn’t that bad,” as many were able to pray in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, notably the Egyptian Wing, for many of the High Holidays. Rabbi Lookstein’s poignant speech was followed by words
delivered an emotional speech, which moved many members of the audience to tears. The address contained a sentimental beginning, as Rabbi Lookstein reminded the audience of the fateful day when the synagogue
surely reflected in the re-dedication ceremony. It was noted that the KJ community has widened over the course of these past four years. Jokingly, Rabbi Lookstein added that although we were in “exile”
from Rabbi Eric Grossman, the new head of school of Ramaz. He referred to the event of the re-dedication as the “next epic in our glorious history.” Throughout the re-dedication ceremony, guests
were fortunate enough to hear performances by the Ramaz Upper School Chamber Choir. The songs that they presented perfectly aligned with the theme of Rabbi Lookstein’s speech of how “today we are actually home.” Afterwards, the new Senior Rabbi of KJ, Rabbi Steinmetz, delivered a powerful sermon. Following his address, another performance by the chamber choir ensued. The assembly finished with the blessing of Hatov VeHamaytiv, a blessing which according to Rabbi Lookstein, is said, “Whenever one receives good news, where the happiness is also connected to other people.” This historic event spread happiness to each and every member of the community. A song of Shehechianu, a blessing that one says on something new, was then performed by the chamber choir. As the ceremony came to a close, Rabbi Lookstein exclaimed, “Thank you God for bringing us to this moment!”
Ramaz Introduces New Recycling Policy
Gabriel Klapholz ’17
The need to preserve our planet and its resources is undeniable. Yet often, this societal responsibility is ignored. In Ramaz, thanks to the tireless work of the Environmental Club, sustainability has become a reality of everyday school life. With the new recycling policy, Ramaz students will need to take the extra steps to make sure that their trash ends up in the right place. The new policy changes the facts on the ground in terms of how the school’s recycling is organized. Previously, all trash – recyclable Ramaz moves to Schoology 3
and unrecyclable – ended up in the same big black garbage bags. Now, there are three different types of bins around the school. In the hallways and lunchroom, there are green bins for paper, blue bins for plastic, and black bins for all other unrecyclable trash. Also, each classroom has green and black bins. While the new policy encourages the student and faculty to care more about the environment, the process of achieving the current arrangement was quite difficult. According to Hadassah Brenner
’17, the current head of the Environmental Club, the first step was to revive the club. With the ultimate goal of enacting a project on this scale, Brenner and her committed friends in the Environmental Club “went through the hallways, asking people if they’re interested in sustainability.” It was Ms. Benel, however, with great support from the administration, who “helped our ideas become a reality,” said Brenner. The inspiration came from Ms. Emily Fano, the Outreach Manager of New York City Eco-Schools, a program
Summer at Szarvas 8
under the National Wildlife Fund (NWF) that encourages teachers to teach about sustainability and promote it in their schools. She spoke to the Environmental Club members to inform them about how to enact change. The Environmental Club “started with composting,” said Ms. Benel, involving Flik in the process right away. The school purchased a small “tumbler,” which converts decomposable materials to soil, for the school’s terrace. The idea to purchase the tumbler was initiated by Skyler Levine
Ramaz Girls look to 4Peat 11
’15. The kitchen staff was “incredibly supportive,” said Ms. Benel, by providing the club with fruit and vegetable scraps from early morning food preparations that could be used in the composting process. The Environmental Club used the soil from the tumbler to make a herb garden on the terrace. After speaking to Chef Chris, members of the club discovered that of the eight or nine garbage bags filled daily after all lunch periods, six could be filled with recyclable materials. The Environmentaarticle continued on page 3
Adina Weinberger’s Album 12